GrowingGirls' Mystery Seed Growing Adventure Journal - 2010

[xkjtx]

Wow, GG... Looking good on the SCROG... Let me know what you think I should do with mine? I was thinking of putting a screen in there, but you said not this time around... I want to take your advice, but then you go and do the SCROG... LOL I was following what you are doing!!! lol So if you would, let me know what you think I should do? Come check my babies out this Monday! You will love it! So much growth!

-xkjtx

 

[trichtone]

The ScrOG is looking great GG! I love the rocks on the ScrOG.

 

[GRAVEYARDTOM]

:3

 

[Woodsman]

Hello GG thought I'd get off my a** and come and visit with you. Read back a few pages to 'brush up' and found some interesting topics to discuss with you.

Lights: Curious, how close are those cfls to your plants on the scrog? Shouldn't be more than a couple of inches. If they are farther than that you will not get their full potential.

pH: Now I'm definitely not an expert, in fact I'm just a beginner as far as pH goes! I have what you have I believe as far as checking the pH, a simple aquarium test kit with the test tube and the drops. From what I've learned through the good graces of our fellow growers here is this. When you take a 'reading' from the runoff you are to 'average out' the actual 'at the soil' pH by taking the pH of the water you give it (let's say 7.0) and the runoff (let's say 6.0). You would have a pH (in the soil) of 6.5. Please correct me if I'm wrong folks! I think I'm right though GG. When I first started checking on pH I thought my pH was the runoff, so subsequently I added stuff to raise it all the time, eventually getting readouts like 7 (from the runoff). I used lime to raise the pH. Well when I realized the mistake, I was already at the mid 7's on the pH scale and way over the safe zone! Sorry I rambled here and for all I know you know this already and I've just stuck a shoe in my mouth and made a fool out of myself (expert at this).

As far as potency goes with that batch you've just dried, It could be from a combination of the above issues. Or it could also be just plain bad 'genetics' of the original seed or clone (?). My last grow had three females (all NL#5) all grown under minimal lighting 100w hid and several cfl's. Two of the girls were potent, the last was not. She was actually the best looking and earliest to finish. Just way to mellow of a high. So in that case I would think that it was genetics at work and not necessarily the lighting. It may have been pH related as that particular plant went haywire for me at one time in early flower. The one I kept adding lime to. Eventually I had to lower the pH, but by that time who knows, the damage may have been done.

Keep the lights as close to your tops as possible. You can have them within a half inch and they won't burn. Add more cfl lighting if you can to the top or sides or better yet both. If you add any, try the daylight cfls to give you a 'mixed spectrum'. This can assist with the production of trichomes (i.e. potency). Some folks use only metal halide or daylight bulbs for the closing weeks of flower or a combination of both MH and HPS (Daylight and Soft White for CFLs).

If you knew all this before I brought it up, just shelve it and move on! ++++Reps for such a nice grow and set up!

 

[GrowingGirls]

Woodsman, that is actually very useful info for me on the pH...thank you! I test both what I put in and what comes out, and I knew to put it in higher than I want it to end up because the runoff will be lower, but I never really understood that it was an average of the two. I had sort of come to that conclusion, though...just never thought of it in the concise way you put it and it makes way more sense to me now. I just figured out through trial and error that I have to put it in at about a 7 to have it come out at something that seems okay.

Regarding the lights, I do think I'm doing the right thing with them at the moment but I will not ignore your advice and move on because you put work into that! I'm happy to take the same time to explain why I've got my lights so far away.

I have burned these plants before with CFLs...really. I used to do 1-2 inches when they were still clone babies, until it got too hot for them. Right now they are at about 5 inches. I had them at 3 but thought I saw the beginning of a burn so I move them up for that, and also because they are shooting up kind of fast and I didn't want them actually hitting the lights.

When they are growing less in height and forming buds, the lights will be closer. Also, the 150w HPS that is currently flowering my older plant will be added to the scrog when it's available.

I definitely learned something from you today...thanks again!

 

[GrownManHollr]

Smoke report on the stuff I'm drying: Not great. Lacking potency, big time. Tastes like ass.

The key to this situation is to wait until you're jonesing REALLY bad, then spark up a bowl.
You'll say, "Ya know, this is some pretty good ass".


You continue to inspire me with your perseverance and effort GG! You're building skills that are gonna take you far! Great Job!

 

[GrowingGirls]

You continue to inspire me with your perseverance and effort GG! You're building skills that are gonna take you far!

I'm going to resist the urge to brush off your compliments and say something self-deprecating, and say that I agree. I have grand plans of becoming an expert at this.

Thank you!

 

[GrowingGirls]

I don't have time to organize these, so they are out of order and not labeled...but here's a crapload of pics I took today.

 

[SanibelGreen]

Scrog is looking amazing GG, so are the other plants with major buds coming in! +Reps

SG

 

[Woodsman]

Woodsman, that is actually very useful info for me on the pH...thank you! I test both what I put in and what comes out, and I knew to put it in higher than I want it to end up because the runoff will be lower, but I never really understood that it was an average of the two. I had sort of come to that conclusion, though...just never thought of it in the concise way you put it and it makes way more sense to me now. I just figured out through trial and error that I have to put it in at about a 7 to have it come out at something that seems okay.

Regarding the lights, I do think I'm doing the right thing with them at the moment but I will not ignore your advice and move on because you put work into that! I'm happy to take the same time to explain why I've got my lights so far away.

I have burned these plants before with CFLs...really. I used to do 1-2 inches when they were still clone babies, until it got too hot for them. Right now they are at about 5 inches. I had them at 3 but thought I saw the beginning of a burn so I move them up for that, and also because they are shooting up kind of fast and I didn't want them actually hitting the lights.

When they are growing less in height and forming buds, the lights will be closer. Also, the 150w HPS that is currently flowering my older plant will be added to the scrog when it's available.

I definitely learned something from you today...thanks again!

Your welcome GG. Just curious, what is the wattage (actual) of those CFLs? I just figured from the pics that they were low wattage, 23,26 or 40's. Maybe I was wrong in assuming that!

All the best Girl and never give up!

 

[GrowingGirls]

what is the wattage (actual) of those CFLs?

12 bulbs (mostly 26w) totaling over 300w, covering 6.5 sq ft.

 

[Woodsman]

12 bulbs (mostly 26w) totaling over 300w, covering 6.5 sq ft.

Got it GG! Wondering if your fan was blowing the leaves into the lights? If ya don't check on them everyday, they could very well grow into the lights. I just raise my lights everyday so they don't grow into them. The 'keeping the CFL lights very close to your plants' topic is mentioned very often on 420. Pretty much a 'set deal' . I've taken a light meter to the CFL's to see for myself, the difference from 2 and 3 inches shows a slight decrease in light intensity. Anything beyond that range the light intensity dramatically decreases. This is true from all sides of the light. GG just don't want you to not be taking advantage of those great little light sources (CFLs) to their fullest! Chow Girl

 

[GrowingGirls]

Got it GG! Wondering if your fan was blowing the leaves into the lights? If ya don't check on them everyday, they could very well grow into the lights. I just raise my lights everyday so they don't grow into them. The 'keeping the CFL lights very close to your plants' topic is mentioned very often on 420. Pretty much a 'set deal' . I've taken a light meter to the CFL's to see for myself, the difference from 2 and 3 inches shows a slight decrease in light intensity. Anything beyond that range the light intensity dramatically decreases. This is true from all sides of the light. GG just don't want you to not be taking advantage of those great little light sources (CFLs) to their fullest! Chow Girl

I hear ya, and the concern is appreciated, but...

There is zero possibility that the leaves actually hit the lights to cause the burn. Also, with this setup I simply can not adjust the lights every single day, although I'd like to.

I've told others here to keep their CFLs closer; I really do understand the importance. Nevertheless, plants are like kids sometimes and mama knows best...what I am doing for them right now is the best that can be done for them right now.

And as I said before, the current light distance is temporary. However, I stand by my statement that 1 inch is too close for this family. As an experiment (in other words, to prove my point), I just moved the CFLs on the bottom of my big plant to about 1-1.5 inches. I'll take new pics tomorrow...I'm nearly certain there will be some burn by then if not before the end of today. It's okay if I burn the bottom of this plant a little since I'm probably going to chop these little buds to make the tops get bigger.

I'll eat my words if I turn out to be wrong on this.

 

[GrowingGirls]

Well...I didn't get a chance to see if those lights would burn the big lady, because I decided to use them as part of a project to double the wattage on the scrog. I got a couple of free fixtures from Craigslist too, bought even more bulbs...and now have 100 actual CFL watts per square foot.

Sunglasses are now required.

Pics! (all but the first are from the scrog)

 

[HorseBadoritz]

Whoa kiddo, yer a farmer

 

[SanibelGreen]

The new resident CFL Queen! Looking great all around GG screen is putting work in!

SG

 

[Myzz617]

Nice scrog GG just popping by dont have much time. Looks like i seen a tub in there let me find out

 

[GaladrielDreams]

Damn girl, you need sunglasses just to look at the pics!

Nice SCROG!!!

 

[GrowingGirls]

Looks like i seen a tub in there let me find out

4 plastic tubs holding 2 plants each. After feeding, I suck the runoff out with a syringe or turkey baster. If I ever get nute burn and need to flush them, I'll have to drill holes in the tubs and shelf...really hoping to avoid that!

 

[GrowingGirls]

So...I think I had a timer malfunction last night, or possibly an operator error. I noticed yesterday that my timer plug had loosened while I was moving stuff around during feeding. I thought I had fixed it, but I became suspicious this morning when the scroggers looked like they had grown a LOT overnight. Then I saw that my overnight high temp was 100!

I thought the lights had been left on all night and I was freaking out that I'd have to be on the lookout for herms, but after looking at the timer again I think I had just accidentally changed the "on" time to about 2 hours earlier...and they weren't at 100 all night but just for a little while this morning before I had the AC back to its daytime temp. I hope that's all it was.

They look AWESOME today...I'll try to get pics but I am waiting on my kid to comply with naptime.

Thanks to all for the kind words about my scrog and lights. I've been quite busy the past week or so and I apologize to those whose journals I need to get caught up on.